In the era of COVID19 Kempinski Hotels get Creative

From an online wedding salon to virtual real-time hotel tours and cosmetic tutorials, the hotel chain explores the possibilities in the era of curtailed travel

Despite the currently limited travel and contact opportunities, Kempinski Hotels is connecting with its guests via a slew of creative actions. In addition to numerous charity campaigns and donations of medical supplies, the hotel teams around the globe have put business ideas into practice, ranging from takeaway apps and virtual real-time hotel tours to an online wedding salon.

Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center in the Chinese capital has developed its own bilingual takeaway and delivery app, appealing not only to locals but also to the surrounding embassies and huge number of expats living in Beijing. Popular here were, among others, the hearty offerings of the in-house Paulaner Bräuhaus. At peak times, the luxury hotel baked up to 300 cakes in its patisserie, including 200 Black Forest cherry cakes per day, for delivery. Setting up a sort of ‘Drive-in’ also became popular among the hotels of the luxury group: While Kempinski Hotel Muscat in Oman set up a window of the hotel for a food pick-up for clients from the safety of their car, Kempinski Hotel Frankfurt Gravenbruch was able to establish a Drive-in Ice Cream Boutique, selling its homemade ice creams, including a delicious seasonal one made from asparagus. Right on the first day more than 200 cars pulled up in front of the luxurious hotel. Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin has been working in close collaboration with the institution Too Good To Go and offers Adlon classics at reduced prices on its ‘We care’ app.

VIRTUAL PRESENCE

Those interested in future events at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest are guided on a virtual tour by a member of staff in real time via a selfie-stick camera through all facilities. Kempinski Hotel Huizhou in China hosted an online wedding salon, where wedding planners and providers of various wedding services could contact potential customers and future couples via a live connection from one of the hotel ballrooms and present their offers and tips. More than 5,300 viewers were online during this event, and numerous requests for weddings at the hotel resulted from this successful campaign.

Thanks to social media, numerous Kempinski hotels managed to stay in close contact with their followers and guests. Initiatives range from a meditation course at The Apurva Kempinski Bali in Indonesia, where the resort’s wellness expert guides guests through a simple meditation to release tensions, to an online tutorial at Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga, which focuses on a daily make-up removal and care ritual under the guidance of the hotel spa manager. Online fitness courses, cooking tips from top chefs and yoga exercises round off the wide range of offers.

‘Our hotel colleagues are extremely active and creative in implementing new business ideas and staying in touch with our valued guests,’ says Amanda Elder, Chief Commercial Officer and Member of the Executive Board of Kempinski Hotels. ‘The hotel teams are showing tremendous entrepreneurial spirit and, in addition to the current initiatives, are already working intensively on strategies for the post-crisis period.’

In the Russian Kempinski hotels, which are still open, a choice of ‘staycations’ are available – hotel stays in one’s own city, which offer guests a change from home in their immediate vicinity. One such Russian Kempinski hotel, Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow, offers luxury rooms and suites with a view of Red Square at a 50 per cent discount through its ‘Island of Serenity’ package, which includes yoga mats, fitness equipment, healthy drinks and room service around the clock under the strictest hygienic conditions.

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